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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Lost some litterbox habits after injury

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    • Isabelle
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        Last week I noticed that Dutchess was dragging her back end behind her, she wasn’t hopping, so I took her to the vet right away. The vet took x-rays and did reflex testing and determined that Dutchess tweaked her back. No bones were broken and her spine discs were all in place thank goodness. I took away her platform and ramp and had to keep her in her cage for about a week. (It’s been quite the experience!) At first she couldn’t get her bottom into her litterbox, so I took it away and let her just go wherever, cleaning her up when needed. She needed several daily butt washings and I finally stuck her bottom in a bowl of warm water and scrubbed her to really get the urine and poo stains off her back feet and bottom, and blew dry her with a hair dryer (she didn’t freak out but she wasn’t thrilled). After three days I was able to give her back her litterbox, she could get all of her paws in it again. The problem is, she does urinate 100% in her box, but she poos all over the place in her cage. I am able to let her out now as she is hopping normally again. She isn’t fully recovered but she was getting so depressed I’ve been slowly working her up from 30 minutes out to a few hours now. She does poo around the room she is let out in, not as bad as her cage but enough for me to wonder if she’s lost some litterbox training? I think she is doing more poos in her litterbox today than yesterday, but I don’t want poos all around the living room when I let her out. Is this something that happened because of the whole ordeal and losing her litterbox for a few days, or is there maybe a larger concern?


      • Monkeybun
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          I would think she is confused about it right now, as you did take away her box and let her go wherever. Time to start over with training


        • Sarita
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            Did the vet give you any pain medications?

            I would suspect she is still in pain and that is why she has lost her litterbox habits.


          • Isabelle
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              Yes, the vet gave me Metcam. She took that once a day for three days, then skip a day and give another dose, then skip a day and give the final dose, which will be today. The vet mentioned giving a steroid if she didn’t improve with metacam, but didn’t want to give the steroid first. Dutchess seems fairly comfortable now, she’s actually been charging everywhere around the room x.x I wanted her to take it easier but she is insistant at exploring everything, including trying to get up into my pants leg.


            • RabbitPam
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                I think that if she’s been in any kind of discomfort, or pain on again, off again, that it may just be too much trouble for her to get into the litter pan just to poo. She obviously wants to use it if she is making the effort for pee, but it could be hard otherwise. I would be curious to see if she poos in the pan soon after receiving her metacam dosage today.
                She sounds like she will get back to normal when she is feeling well again. For now, since she is improving, I wouldn’t worry about it. You might try putting a second, low litter pan in the living room for when she’s out. Many bunnies like that under normal circumstances anyway – it saves them the trip back to the main pan. I had one in a discreet corner for Spockie when he liked to run far and wide. Sammy is much better about returning all the way back from a separate room, but Dutchess may find it comfortable to hang out in as well. (Use soft litter)

                I hope she is fully recovered soon. {{{{{{{{{{{Healing vibes}}}}}}}}}}}}}


              • Sarita
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                  Yeah, I wouldn’t do the steroid at all. I imagine she may still be healing even though she doesn’t appear to be in pain. It may still be a low grade ache or pain.

                  You may want to continue to keep her confined to heal further and that may also help her gain her litterbox habits back.


                • Isabelle
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                    She does have litterboxes around the house, and I’ve seen her sitting next to it and just do a few poos, and I’m like . . . you were two inches away. You’re probably right, she just doesn’t want to do the effort of hopping in an out, the litterboxes are triangle ones with the high back and an open front, and there is fresh hay on top of the litter. I have never seen her hang out in a litterbox, she’ll go there to do her business and munch some hay, but she’s never laid down/slept in one. If she does I hope someone takes a picture! She’ll curl up next to it, but never in it. I’ll watch and see if her habits improve after the meds tonight, I was planning on doing a big full cage clean out this afternoon to get all of the poos from the past few days out (I spot removed as much as I could by hand but there’s more in her hay/bedding thats harder to get out), so I’ll do that just before giving her meds. Then I have a ‘good’ excuse to sit and stare at her and give her pets and cootchie coo her for an hour and avoid work I have to do tonight ^__^


                  • RabbitPam
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                      She may be napping and dropping poos while she’s still groggy and just waking up. Meds can throw us all off sometimes.


                    • BinkyBunny
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                        Are they pile poos or more like scattered territorial poos? I know that when jack was put in scary situation like a vet trip or even nail trimmings he would redecorate the bunny room with poo. It would only last a couple of days or so but it was like the experience made him feel the need to reclaim or something. A way to recover from a unsettling experience by resecuring his surroundings. Of course I don’t know this for sure, but that is the feeling I got.

                        Not sure if that may come into play with your bunny or not.


                      • Isabelle
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                          BB-I think it’s a bit of both, I’ve still been watching her the past two days and she is still doing it. When she is in her cage she will do piles of poos basically everywhere, and she is going in her litterbox as well, just more out than in. She urinated twice outside of her litterbox in the past 12 hours, she even picked up her litterbox and moved it and then peed in the corner where the litterbox was! x.x When she is out and roaming around she doesn’t urinate on the carpet (thank goodness) but she’ll be hopping around and out pops a poo and she keeps on her merry way like she didn’t even notice it. I think she might not be realizing she has a poo coming out or something, or it’s a territorial poo, since it seems to happen ‘randomly’ around the different rooms.

                          Her medication is gone now, and I’ve cleaned her cage and litterbox. She will lay down with her feet to the side, but she won’t lay down with her feet stuck out behind her. She seems to still have some healing to do over the next few weeks, but I’m happy to report that I no longer see cecals and I can see her grooming her feet and almost reaching around to groom her tail, so her mobility/flexibility is returning. She is able to ball/loaf again too!


                        • Kokaneeandkahlua
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                            {{{Dutchess}}} I agree with the others, I wouldn’t worry this is a long term habit, probably meds, and pain and being possibly worried about why her body isn’t working the way she’s used to. I hope she’s 100% soon!! *hugs*

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                        Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Lost some litterbox habits after injury